Kenneth H. Tiedemann
Environmental impact, Energy management, Energy conservation, Demand side management, Electricity
Research on behavioral energy savings in residential dwellings typically uses experimental or quasi-experimental methods to evaluate the impact of a specific behavioral treatment on energy savings, but relatively few studies have examined conservation behavior at the specific measure level. This paper reports on a detailed behavioral study of residential customers of BC Hydro in British Columbia, Canada. Using data collected from four annual surveys of residential customers, an extensive residential end use survey, and econometric modelling we applied the conditions, capacity and commitment model to twenty energy conservation behaviors covering six major end uses. Using a conditional demand model and engineering algorithms, the study also estimated behavioral energy savings at the end use level. The study found that average behavioral energy savings were 683 kWh per year or about six percent of annual electricity consumption. Finally, multivariate regression modelling supported the assumed validity of the conditions, capacity, and commitment framework because the regression coefficients on conditions and capacity had the expected positive signs, the regression coefficients were significant at the one percent level, and the regression had a reasonable degree of explanatory power.
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